Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children and young people are in receipt of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care packages in the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board area.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of services to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England supports ICBs to implement the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care, and it has now started to collect Children and Young People’s Continuing Care activity data as part of the All-age Continuing Care Patient Level Dataset which launched on 1 April 2025, and which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/all-age-continuing-care-data-set/about-the-all-age-continuing-care-data-set

National data on Children and Young People’s Continuing Care is not yet available. NHS England data shows that the total number of adults aged 18 years old and over in England who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) was 50,281 as of the last day of Quarter one of 2025/26. The CHC’s Statistical Press Release for Quarter one of 2025/26 is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/CHC_Statistical_Press_Release_Q1_2025_26_DQ55g.pdf

The relationship between Children and Young People’s Continuing Care and hospital admissions is not monitored nationally and the data on the numbers of children in receipt of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care packages and the cost of the packages by region is not held centrally. ICBs may hold relevant information as they have a statutory duty to meet the reasonable needs of an individual. For health services, the duty is that of Sections 3 to 6 of the NHS Act 2006 and accompanying regulations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure equitable regional access to hospice care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.

However, due to the way the hospice movement organically grew, hospice locations were largely not planned with a view to providing even access across the country or to prioritise areas of greatest need based on demographics. Therefore, there are inequalities in access to hospice services, especially for those living in rural or socio-economically deprived areas.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.  I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICB on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26.  This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

More widely, I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to hospice services in each of the last five financial years; and what information his Department holds on the proportion of that funding from (a) central government, (b) local authorities and (c) charitable donations.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

Most hospices in England are charitable organisations, receiving approximately one third of their funding from the NHS and the rest through other independent fund-raising means. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives from the NHS varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

This approach allows the hospices to maintain their independence and autonomy, providing them with the freedom to provide services beyond the statutory offer. Thus, hospices are not required to report their charitable donations to the Government, nor is the Government to collect such information from hospices.

Hospices do incredible work to support people and families when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing. Which is why, for the first time in a generation, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Furthermore, the Children’s Hospice ‘Grant’ has provided additional funding since 2006/07. The following table shows the Children’s Hospice ‘Grant’ amounts allocated since 2015/16 to 2025/26:

Note: the payment is no longer referred to as a ‘grant’ by NHS England as it is now channelled through ICBs rather than being directly paid to hospices by NHS England.

Since 2022/23, individual allocations of the grant have been determined using a prevalence-based model, enabling allocations to reflect local population need.

I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26.  This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the impact of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care on hospital admissions among children with complex health needs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of services to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England supports ICBs to implement the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care, and it has now started to collect Children and Young People’s Continuing Care activity data as part of the All-age Continuing Care Patient Level Dataset which launched on 1 April 2025, and which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/all-age-continuing-care-data-set/about-the-all-age-continuing-care-data-set

National data on Children and Young People’s Continuing Care is not yet available. NHS England data shows that the total number of adults aged 18 years old and over in England who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) was 50,281 as of the last day of Quarter one of 2025/26. The CHC’s Statistical Press Release for Quarter one of 2025/26 is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/CHC_Statistical_Press_Release_Q1_2025_26_DQ55g.pdf

The relationship between Children and Young People’s Continuing Care and hospital admissions is not monitored nationally and the data on the numbers of children in receipt of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care packages and the cost of the packages by region is not held centrally. ICBs may hold relevant information as they have a statutory duty to meet the reasonable needs of an individual. For health services, the duty is that of Sections 3 to 6 of the NHS Act 2006 and accompanying regulations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average annual cost is of a Children and Young People’s Continuing Care package by region.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of services to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England supports ICBs to implement the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care, and it has now started to collect Children and Young People’s Continuing Care activity data as part of the All-age Continuing Care Patient Level Dataset which launched on 1 April 2025, and which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/all-age-continuing-care-data-set/about-the-all-age-continuing-care-data-set

National data on Children and Young People’s Continuing Care is not yet available. NHS England data shows that the total number of adults aged 18 years old and over in England who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) was 50,281 as of the last day of Quarter one of 2025/26. The CHC’s Statistical Press Release for Quarter one of 2025/26 is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/CHC_Statistical_Press_Release_Q1_2025_26_DQ55g.pdf

The relationship between Children and Young People’s Continuing Care and hospital admissions is not monitored nationally and the data on the numbers of children in receipt of Children and Young People’s Continuing Care packages and the cost of the packages by region is not held centrally. ICBs may hold relevant information as they have a statutory duty to meet the reasonable needs of an individual. For health services, the duty is that of Sections 3 to 6 of the NHS Act 2006 and accompanying regulations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria her Department used to select the delivery areas for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund; and how often the list of delivery areas is reviewed.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund was launched in January 2023 as an up to £30 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. In April 2025, the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with an additional up to £4.5m of government funding.

The list of 27 areas eligible for KYN funding was identified using the English Index of Multiple Deprivation and the Community Needs Index. To ensure a balanced distribution between area types, the nine highest-need local authorities were selected from each of the three categories: large urban areas, medium urban areas, and rural and small urban areas. Further information on the selection methodology is publicly available on gov.uk under Annex A of the application guidance for the ‘KYN Fund Intermediary Grant Maker Competition’.

The Department does not review the list of KYN Fund delivery areas at specific intervals. This is because organisations within the delivery areas were eligible for funding until the original Fund end date (31 March 2025). In April 2025, the Fund was extended until March 2026, specifically making available uplifts to existing grant awards to organisations in the original 27 eligible delivery areas that had previously received KYN funding between 2022 and 2025.

We recognise that we are unable to reach every area in need of support with a fund of this size. A key objective of the Fund, therefore, is learning about what works in these areas. An evaluation of the Fund will therefore be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on the adequacy of their capacity to investigate complex fraud cases.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office is leading cross-system efforts to tackle complex fraud, and improving law enforcement capability is a key part of this work.

Having now completed recruitment of the new National Fraud Squad, we continue to work closely with key partners to ensure the delivery of a new, improved national reporting service and to enhance fraud training and skills. These measures will ensure a proactive, intelligence-based approach to investigating complex fraud cases.

From 2026, we will monitor each force in England and Wales on their performance in tackling fraud through the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Police Efficiency Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) framework. This will provide valuable insight on investigative practices including capacity to investigate complex fraud cases.

Further detail will be set out in the forthcoming Fraud Strategy.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled New youth guarantee for eligible young people and funding for libraries in all primary schools, published on 29 September 2025, whether the funding for new school libraries will include (a) staffing costs, (b) books and (c) technology.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As funding for this initiative will come from the Dormant Assets Scheme over which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility, your question has been transferred to my Department.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian.

Funding for this programme will come from the £132.5 million that was allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

The Government will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and will announce further details in due course, including definitions, eligibility and funding.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department plans to define a library for the purposes of eligibility under the new primary school library funding scheme.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As funding for this initiative will come from the Dormant Assets Scheme over which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility, your question has been transferred to my Department.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian.

Funding for this programme will come from the £132.5 million that was allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

The Government will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and will announce further details in due course, including definitions, eligibility and funding.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration crime network disruptions were led by the UK National Crime Agency in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Last year, the National Crime Agency delivered approximately 350 disruptions targeting people smuggling networks - each one removing, preventing, or reducing a criminal threat. This marked a 40% increase compared to the previous year.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships on tourism levels in (a) England and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) work collaboratively at local, regional and national levels on shared priorities and targets to support and grow the visitor economy.

Each LVEP sets out how they measure their agreed activities in their annual growth plan. DCMS and VisitEngland continue to monitor the impact of LVEPs by collaborating with them on their identified growth priorities and sharing best practice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the Nutrient Profile Model on the availability of healthier (a) food and (b) drink products.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We announced that we would update the nutrient profiling model (NPM) 2004/05, which underpins the advertising restrictions and promotion restrictions on less healthy food and drink policies so that it reflects the latest dietary recommendations.

We will consult on applying the updated NPM to these policies and will publish an impact assessment in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to work with schools to (a) identify and (b) support pupils impacted by homelessness or temporary accommodation.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 10 October, the government announced £10.9 million in funding for ‘Supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness’ via the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2025/26. The funding has been allocated to 61 local authorities with the highest numbers of children in temporary accommodation to increase access to support and services for families and to make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. The funding is intended to deliver positive benefits to children’s education outcomes and can include interventions such as travel to school, school uniforms and equipment, and the improvement of communal spaces to enable children to complete homework.

‘Keeping children safe in education 2025’ (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance to which schools and colleges in England must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

KCSIE outlines that school and college staff are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, promote children’s welfare and prevent concerns from escalating, and that all staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has provided to help support deaf-led (a) arts and (b) cultural projects in the last 12 months.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government primarily supports the arts and cultural projects through Arts Council England (ACE). While ACE does not collect data specifically on deaf-led organisations, it does track funding for D/deaf and/or disabled organisations and cultural projects. Since April 2024, these groups have received over £4 million in funding. This includes £363,718 in annual funding to Stagetext, a deaf-led charity who provide accessible captions and subtitles, so that deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people can access creativity and culture. ACE also funds a number of projects and programmes across England that do not fall within this funding category, but which directly or indirectly benefit the D/deaf community.

DCMS is also supporting ACE and the other arts councils in the UK and Ireland to develop All In - an access scheme dedicated to removing barriers and improving the experience of deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent people when attending creative and cultural events. All In aims to increase overall attendance by making it easier for people with access requirements to find and book tickets, while also developing standards for creativity and culture that promote quality and consistency across the UK and Ireland; all supported by training and skills development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the NHS of staff being required to undertake duplicate First Aid training when working across multiple NHS trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Due to the number of professional clinicians working across the National Health Service, first aid training is not a requirement for NHS staff and is only relevant in settings where clinicians do not work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of current NHS staffing levels in (a) hospitals and (b) general practice.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service hospitals and healthcare providers, such as general practices, are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient staff to provide safe care for their patients.

Providers already have a duty through Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to regularly review the number of staff and range of skills needed to safely meet the needs of people using their services.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the extent of regional disparities in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a (a) national standard and (b) mutual recognition framework for First Aid training across NHS trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Due to the number of professional clinicians working across the National Health Service, first aid training is not a requirement for NHS staff and is only relevant in settings where clinicians do not work.

The mutual recognition agreement, signed by 262 NHS organisations across England, covers all Core Skills Training Framework Subjects, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Additionally, the Statutory and Mandatory e-learning programme includes four resuscitation sessions which are freely available to all health and social care staff.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Access to Work scheme for deaf people.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is a variety of contact methods which customers with hearing loss can utilise. These include textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email as a method of contact, they should inform the Access to Work team or Case Manager. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress the Government has made in implementing the British Sign Language Act 2022.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Everyone in our country should have access to important information from the government and should be able to engage with the government on issues that will affect them. That is why it is crucial to make sure that government communications are as inclusive and accessible as possible, including for the Deaf community and British Sign Language (BSL) users.

The British Sign Language Act 2022 supports this by creating a greater recognition and understanding of BSL, and requires the government to report on what departments listed in the Act have done to promote or facilitate the use of British Sign Language in their communications with the public.

The third BSL report was published on Monday 21 July 2025 and demonstrates an increase in the usage of BSL by government departments in public-facing communications since reporting started in 2023. We will continue to publish a report every year on an annual basis up to 2027, going further than the frequency required by the Act. The next report will be published in July 2026.

In addition to overall reporting, each ministerial department has produced a 5 year BSL Plan, setting out how they plan to improve the use of BSL within their departments. These were published alongside the third BSL report in July 2025.

Following the passage of the BSL Act, the BSL Advisory board was created to advise the Government on key issues impacting the Deaf community in their everyday life. It is the first dual language board advising the UK Government, and it meets regularly. We will continue to work with the BSL Advisory Board, Deaf people and their representative organisations, and with Ministers across government, including our Lead Ministers for Disability, to continue to make tangible improvements for the Deaf community

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission an independent audit to confirm that no structural materials are present that pose risks to the (a) safety and (b) integrity of all school and college buildings.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is the responsibility of those who run our schools, such as academy trusts and local authorities, to collect and record information about their buildings and to ensure they are safe, well-maintained and comply with relevant regulations. The department provides guidance on this in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guidance, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools.

The department has undertaken extensive work to address risks associated with structural materials in the estate. We have removed Intergrid and Laingspan buildings and have committed to removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or starting rebuilding schemes to replace affected buildings, by the end of this parliament.

The department is continuing this work through a £5 million research programme by leading material and engineering experts. This will identify if there are emerging structural safety risks in the post-war estate. We have regular discussions with relevant professional bodies and material specialists about evidence regarding the safety of construction types and materials.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equal access to higher education for deaf students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Support for people with hearing impairments in higher education (HE) is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, with tailored provisions depending on the setting and the needs of the individual.

All education and training providers, including HE, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with hearing impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.

Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats or using assistive technology), modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), ensuring physical accessibility (ramps or accessible accommodation), and offering personalised support services (including note takers, interpreters, or mental health support).

In addition, Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for eligible HE students for the provision of more specialist support. This might include specialist equipment, travel costs and non-medical helpers such as British Sign Language interpreters or specialist notetakers for students who are deaf or have hearing loss.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government provides funding for research into (a) detection and (b) attribution techniques to (i) identify malicious drone operations quickly and (ii) support criminal (A) investigation and (B) prosecution.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government operates a counter-drones science and technology programme, which provides funding for research into Detect, Track and Identify (DTI) technologies.

These technologies allow operators to quickly detect and in certain conditions attribute drone incidents. Teams across government work closely together and with operational partners to understand and make use of new technologies. We do not make public the amount spent on research into counter-drone technology or routinely name partners that we work with.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on securing public spaces from unauthorised drone activity; and whether her Department provides funding to local authorities for local counter-drone measures at high-risk public sites.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office oversees the UK government’s approach to countering the misuse of drones.

The needs and requirements of each local authority to prepare for and respond to unauthorised drone activity will vary. In order to manage their risks, local authorities should work with their local police, for example through their Local Resilience Forum, to agree their approach.

The Home Office provides cross-government coordination on counter-drone policy, and has supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council counter-drones team to develop local police capabilities. Police forces across the UK have been issued with equipment, guidance and training to prepare for and respond to drone misuse, and are responsible for their ongoing local risk assessments.

Guidance on the wider topic of drone awareness and security has been issued by the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), focused on infrastructure but applicable to public spaces: Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) | Uncrewed Aerial Systems | NPSA. More broadly, guidance has also been provided following the passing of Martyn’s Law which outlines local authorities’ responsibilities to ensure public safety and security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will establish a judge-led inquiry into the RAF Chinook ZD576 crash on the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.

The Department has received a formal claim for a Judicial Review of our decision to reject the demand for a Judge-led inquiry into the circumstances of the crash from the Chinook Justice Campaign. We are committed to engaging fully with this process, and you will understand that I am unable to provide further comment while this work is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Scheme on producers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and the vital role it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce. The Fruit and Vegetable Scheme Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme, and we will not be continuing that model of support in England when it ends on 31 December 2025.

Future funding for the sector will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.

The Good Food Cycle, published as part of our food strategy gives the food sector a blueprint for an economically successful and innovative domestic food sector, including horticulture. It will work alongside the Farming Roadmap, the Land Use Framework, the Circular Economy Strategy and the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports farmers, growers and food producers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the risk from small unmanned drones to (a) public order and (b) public safety.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office and Department for Transport collaborate closely with each other and a range of stakeholders, including operational partners and colleagues inside and outside of government, to address the risks posed to public order and safety posed by drone misuse.

The Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021, which gives police powers to better protect against malicious or negligent drone use, was developed by DfT working closely with the Home Office.

The policy and operational tools to manage drone misuse sit across a number of agencies, including the Department for Transport, Home Office, Civil Aviation Authority and the police. DfT and HO engage regularly to ensure that the future of drone regulation and policy supports both the security needs of the UK and the legitimate use of drones.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the period of time within which a victims' family can appeal a sentence.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Through the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, a victims’ family (and members of the public) can request that the Attorney General refers a sentence to the Court of Appeal for review. Parliament intended the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme to be an exceptional power, and any expansion of the scheme must be carefully considered. While we understand calls for expansion, it is important for both victims and offenders that there is finality in sentencing.

The Law Commission is undertaking a review of the law governing criminal appeals. They launched a public consultation which invited views on a range of reforms to criminal appeals, including the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. They are now reviewing those responses and expect to publish their findings and recommendations in 2026.

The Government will carefully and holistically consider the Law Commission review’s final recommendations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made in reducing delays in issuing Education, Health and Care Plans.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department knows that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes. We want to ensure that local authorities complete EHC needs assessments promptly, and high quality plans are issued in line with statutory deadlines, so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make required improvements, the department will help them identify barriers and develop an effective recovery plan, including support from special educational needs and disabilities advisers where needed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) legal and (b) operational guidance her Department has issued to police forces on the lawful use of (i) signal jamming, (ii) electronic disruption, and (iii) kinetic interception measures to tackle unauthorised drones in public spaces.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has worked closely with policing colleagues to ensure operational responders have access to appropriate technologies and powers to detect and mitigate against drone misuse.

The government brought in the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act (ATMUA) in 2021, to give the police necessary powers to protect against malicious or negligent drone use. ATMUA amends the Police Act 1997 to enable the use of counter-drone technologies by operational responders.

How and when the police use the technologies and powers provided to them by the Home Office is an operational matter. The Home Office has always maintained the importance of operational independence and does not routinely comment on operational decision making.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of drone-related incidents reported to the police by type of incident for each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The police provide the Home Office with analysis of general trends in drone misuse across the UK to help co-ordinate work and allocate resources across government.

Over the past five years these trends have shown a consistent increase in both legal and illegal drone use.

The police maintain detailed central reporting and recording which is used for operational and planning purposes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver (a) high-priority and (b) high-cost courses.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education. We must, therefore, reform the higher education system to better support disadvantaged students. That is why the government will reintroduce targeted maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on international student fees.

We will set out further details on the levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at Autumn Budget.

The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching of expensive-to-deliver subjects. For the 2025/26 academic year, more than two thirds of the £1.3 billion SPG recurrent budget allocated to providers will support the provision of high-cost subjects, for example medicine, dentistry, science, engineering and technology.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver on the Industrial Strategy.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In the Industrial Strategy we recognised the critical role of universities as engines for innovation and skills and announced that the Strategic Priorities Grant will be more effectively targeted towards provision which supports future skills needs in the Industrial Strategy.

On the International Student Levy, we will set out further details including an impact analysis in the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Police Air Service in meeting its strategic objectives since its establishment.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

As NPAS is a police-led collaboration, it is their National Strategic Board which is responsible for setting and evaluating the strategic direction of NPAS, as well as for all operating and financial decisions. Policing leaders are best placed to determine their requirements for air support and how to meet this using the resources available. However, Home Office officials remain closely involved and continue to monitor and support NPAS and each year agree objectives and deliverables for NPAS within the funding envelope available.

The NPAS Strategic Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of NPAS, the terms of the Collaboration Agreement arranged through section 22A of the Police Act 1996 agreed between forces, and for all operating and financial decisions within the scope of the grant funding agreement, such as the number and location of NPAS bases.

The total budget allocation for NPAS in each of the last five years was as follows:

• FY25/26: £10,672,695
• FY24/25: £10,276,503
• FY23/24: £10,470,000
• FY22/23: £15,478,437
• FY21/22: £11,500,000

NPAS currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, comprising 20 rotary (8 EC135 T2, 8 EC135 P2, and 4 EC145 models), and 4 fixed wing. NPAS is in the process of partially replacing this fleet.

NPAS operates a network of 15 strategically located bases across England and Wales, providing vital air support to police forces nationwide. In addition to these regional bases, NPAS also operates a 24-hour service from Lippitts Hill in Epping Forest, supporting the Metropolitan Police Service and ensuring continuous air coverage for London. There are currently no changes to the base network planned for the next two years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce health inequalities experienced by deaf people.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is for individual National Health Service organisations, including NHS trusts and integrated care boards, to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are as accessible to disabled people, including deaf people, as they are for everybody else. This includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support deaf patients.

Health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag was developed in the National Repository, a digital system within the NHS where key patient information is stored to enable health and care workers to record, share and view details of reasonable adjustments, across the NHS and social care, wherever the person is seen or treated.

Following the launch of the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag Information Standard, published in September 2023, the flag went live in the National Care Record Service and is being rolled out across England.

Since 2016, all NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

NHS England published a revised AIS on 30 June 2025. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using services.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many operational bases the National Police Air Service maintains; and what changes to the base network are planned for the next two years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

As NPAS is a police-led collaboration, it is their National Strategic Board which is responsible for setting and evaluating the strategic direction of NPAS, as well as for all operating and financial decisions. Policing leaders are best placed to determine their requirements for air support and how to meet this using the resources available. However, Home Office officials remain closely involved and continue to monitor and support NPAS and each year agree objectives and deliverables for NPAS within the funding envelope available.

The NPAS Strategic Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of NPAS, the terms of the Collaboration Agreement arranged through section 22A of the Police Act 1996 agreed between forces, and for all operating and financial decisions within the scope of the grant funding agreement, such as the number and location of NPAS bases.

The total budget allocation for NPAS in each of the last five years was as follows:

• FY25/26: £10,672,695
• FY24/25: £10,276,503
• FY23/24: £10,470,000
• FY22/23: £15,478,437
• FY21/22: £11,500,000

NPAS currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, comprising 20 rotary (8 EC135 T2, 8 EC135 P2, and 4 EC145 models), and 4 fixed wing. NPAS is in the process of partially replacing this fleet.

NPAS operates a network of 15 strategically located bases across England and Wales, providing vital air support to police forces nationwide. In addition to these regional bases, NPAS also operates a 24-hour service from Lippitts Hill in Epping Forest, supporting the Metropolitan Police Service and ensuring continuous air coverage for London. There are currently no changes to the base network planned for the next two years.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many aircraft are currently operated by the National Police Air Service by (a) type and (b) operational status.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

As NPAS is a police-led collaboration, it is their National Strategic Board which is responsible for setting and evaluating the strategic direction of NPAS, as well as for all operating and financial decisions. Policing leaders are best placed to determine their requirements for air support and how to meet this using the resources available. However, Home Office officials remain closely involved and continue to monitor and support NPAS and each year agree objectives and deliverables for NPAS within the funding envelope available.

The NPAS Strategic Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of NPAS, the terms of the Collaboration Agreement arranged through section 22A of the Police Act 1996 agreed between forces, and for all operating and financial decisions within the scope of the grant funding agreement, such as the number and location of NPAS bases.

The total budget allocation for NPAS in each of the last five years was as follows:

• FY25/26: £10,672,695
• FY24/25: £10,276,503
• FY23/24: £10,470,000
• FY22/23: £15,478,437
• FY21/22: £11,500,000

NPAS currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, comprising 20 rotary (8 EC135 T2, 8 EC135 P2, and 4 EC145 models), and 4 fixed wing. NPAS is in the process of partially replacing this fleet.

NPAS operates a network of 15 strategically located bases across England and Wales, providing vital air support to police forces nationwide. In addition to these regional bases, NPAS also operates a 24-hour service from Lippitts Hill in Epping Forest, supporting the Metropolitan Police Service and ensuring continuous air coverage for London. There are currently no changes to the base network planned for the next two years.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget allocation for the National Police Air Service was in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

As NPAS is a police-led collaboration, it is their National Strategic Board which is responsible for setting and evaluating the strategic direction of NPAS, as well as for all operating and financial decisions. Policing leaders are best placed to determine their requirements for air support and how to meet this using the resources available. However, Home Office officials remain closely involved and continue to monitor and support NPAS and each year agree objectives and deliverables for NPAS within the funding envelope available.

The NPAS Strategic Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of NPAS, the terms of the Collaboration Agreement arranged through section 22A of the Police Act 1996 agreed between forces, and for all operating and financial decisions within the scope of the grant funding agreement, such as the number and location of NPAS bases.

The total budget allocation for NPAS in each of the last five years was as follows:

• FY25/26: £10,672,695
• FY24/25: £10,276,503
• FY23/24: £10,470,000
• FY22/23: £15,478,437
• FY21/22: £11,500,000

NPAS currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, comprising 20 rotary (8 EC135 T2, 8 EC135 P2, and 4 EC145 models), and 4 fixed wing. NPAS is in the process of partially replacing this fleet.

NPAS operates a network of 15 strategically located bases across England and Wales, providing vital air support to police forces nationwide. In addition to these regional bases, NPAS also operates a 24-hour service from Lippitts Hill in Epping Forest, supporting the Metropolitan Police Service and ensuring continuous air coverage for London. There are currently no changes to the base network planned for the next two years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in England are receiving treatment with the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device; and at which NHS Trusts such treatment is available.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) considered the use of tumour treating fields (TTF) in its guideline on brain tumours, reference code NG99, published in 2018 and recommended that the treatment should not be offered by the National Health Service for the management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma, based on an assessment of the evidence available at the time.

Decisions on whether guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE’s prioritisation board considered TTF for glioblastoma in July 2024, where they agreed the topic should not be prioritised but reconsidered when relevant key trials have completed.

At the meeting on 15 September 2025, the topic was reconsidered. The prioritisation board noted that some trials are ongoing, including a key trial that is likely to be published in 2026, and consequently agreed that the topic should still not be prioritised at this time, but revisited once those trials have been published.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to request that NICE begin an appraisal of the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has no plans to request that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraise tumour treating fields (TTF), or to intervene in NICE’s established guidance prioritisation process.

NICE considered the use of TTF in its guideline on brain tumours, reference NG99, published in 2018, and recommended that the treatment should not be offered for the management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma, based on an assessment of the evidence available at the time.

Decisions on whether guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE’s prioritisation board considered TTF for glioblastoma in July 2024 where they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised but reconsidered when relevant key trials have completed.

At the meeting on 15 September 2025, the topic was reconsidered. The prioritisation board noted that some trials are ongoing, including a key trial that is likely to be published in 2026, and consequently agreed that the topic should still not be prioritised at this time, but revisited once those trials have been published.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver on the Post-16 Skills White Paper.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out how the department intends to work with the sector to achieve our vision for the future of higher education (HE).This includes the introduction of a tuition fee escalator to put the sector on a more sustainable footing, and the reintroduction of targeted means-tested maintenance grants, alongside a commitment to increase maintenance loans in line with inflation every academic year to widen access. We are also strengthening the Office for Students’ powers to tackle pockets of low quality provision and protect value for public money.

The levy on international student fees will fund the means-tested maintenance grants. We will set out further details on both measures at the Autumn Budget.

HE providers are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the quality of coastal waters around England.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra assessed the quality of coastal waters around England in 2024, publishing these assessments as part of the UK Marine Strategy Part One Update and good environmental status consultation in June 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of digital ID on levels of registration for the organ donors' register.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donation organisation for the UK responsible for the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR), which is available at the following link:

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision/

For the purposes of this response, Digital ID has been assumed to refer to the potential introduction of a citizen ID as recently announced by the UK Government.

Presently, NHSBT has made no formal assessment on the potential impact of the introduction of Digital ID on levels of ODR registration. The appropriateness of this will be monitored going forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the results of research funded through the Mental Health Goals programme are rapidly translated into frontline NHS mental health services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is investing £50 million through the Mental Health Goals programme to speed up the translation of research into frontline NHS services. Funding will support a 20,000-person research cohort, improved access to mental health data, and an Industry Alliance Team to fast-track clinical trials. A new Lived Experience Partnership will ensure innovations reflect real patient needs. These steps will help deliver more effective, personalised treatments for people struggling with mental health conditions and ensure that breakthroughs reach NHS patients faster, supporting a National Health Service fit for the future.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential deployment of military counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities for civil purposes.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK employs a broad approach to deterring and defeating air and missile threats, including those from Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS or drones). The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with the Home Office on Homeland C-UAS issues. While domestic peacetime C-UAS is a Home Office lead, the MOD maintains C-UAS systems for military purposes. Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) protocols provide a recognised framework to enable the provision of Defence capabilities to support civilian authorities in certain circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully qualified RAF pilots are available for front-line deployment; and how many pilots would be required for full operational capability.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department has allocated to the research and development of non-lethal and lawful counter-drone technologies in the last five years.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing counter drone technology, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including countering drones.

Research and Development has been at the core of this rapid transformation, this has been an engine for growth and is happening all across industry, including in our support to Ukraine. This innovation and the funding associated with it, has involved many segments of the Ministry of Defence including the Defence and Security Accelerator, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and frontline capability development programmes. However, funding information across a five-year period is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on farmers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We do not produce constituency level assessments. We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income broken down in various ways. The latest data currently available are for 2023/24, 2024/25 data will be published on the 20 November 2025.

Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

Across England, 50,000 farm businesses are already in agri-environmental schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the link between untreated Urinary Tract infections and (a) mental confusion and (b) aggression in patients with neurological injuries.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department has funded and supported multiple studies investigating urinary tract infections (UTIs), with some funded studies studying the link between UTIs and cognitive outcomes. For example, NIHR has funded the ‘IntraVESical Preparations for REcurrent Urinary Tract Infection Prevention’ (VESPER) study. This study aims to determine whether in-bladder treatments are more effective and cost-efficient than second-line oral antibiotics in reducing recurrent UTIs in women who have not responded to first-line preventative antibiotics. It will connect clinical outcomes with quality-adjusted life year (QALY)-based evaluations that take cognitive changes into account.

NIHR infrastructure is also conducting relevant research that is investigating UTIs and considering cognitive outcomes. The NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, is leading the ‘DIagnoSing Care hOme UTI’ (DISCO UTI) study which is investigating new ways to accurately diagnose and treat UTIs in care homes, as UTIs can cause symptoms like confusion, resulting in difficulties when diagnosing UTIs in care home residents.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) demography and (b) regional locations of new diagnoses of (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B and (iii) hepatitis C.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Health Security Agency undertakes monitoring and surveillance of HIV and hepatitis B and C viral infections, including new diagnoses. This includes regional and demographic information that is published through a series of surveillance reports.

A regional breakdown of new HIV diagnoses can be accessed in the HIV diagnoses, AIDS, deaths and people in care: country and region tables, United Kingdom, 2015 to 2024 table, a copy of which is attached. In addition, demographic data is available in the HIV diagnoses, AIDS, deaths and people in care: key population HIV tables, England, 2015 to 2024 table, a copy of which is also attached.

Acute hepatitis B surveillance reports can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/acute-hepatitis-b-england-enhanced-surveillance-reports

Hepatitis C laboratory reports are published annually at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-england-and-wales-2024/laboratory-reports-of-hepatitis-c-infections-in-england-and-wales-april-to-june-2024

The Department’s Fingertips tool also provides publicly accessible geographical information on hepatitis B and C and HIV, and is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/hepatitis

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what criteria his Department is using to select locations for AI Growth Zones.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2025 to Question UIN 82268.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that reports of fraudulent company registrations made to Action Fraud are treated as criminal matters.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government is working with City of London Police to replace Action Fraud with a new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cyber crime. The new service (called Report Fraud) is nearing completion with full transition expected in early December 2025. The new service will support tackling fraudulent company registrations by providing law enforcement with better intelligence for investigations and other disruption activity.

The new service will also improve the support services and reporting tools for victims. In addition, the Government has launched a National Fraud Squad (NFS) of specialist posts, led by the NCA and City of London Police. The NFS will help to combat fraudulent company registrations by taking a proactive, intelligence-led approach to identifying and disrupting the most serious fraudsters.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much of the £10 billion investment pledged by private firms at the Regional Investment Summit on 21 October 2025 is new investment; and how much had been previously pledged.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

All of the £10billion of investment commitments pledged by private firms at the Regional Investment Summit on 21 October 2025 is new investment. Previously pledged investments were not included in this figure.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the fraudulent registration of companies using private residential addresses through Companies House.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 strengthened Companies House’s powers to query or reject inaccurate or suspicious addresses, enabling the Registrar to act swiftly and decisively against misuse of residential addresses.

Many fraudulent or misused registered office addresses have been removed and replaced with default addresses and companies without appropriate addresses are struck off, protecting those whose details were used without permission.

Companies House’s systems improve continuously to detect and prevent unauthorised address use. The Government is considering the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation for increased powers to verify new and existing company addresses and will respond in November.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the risk of skin gambling on young people.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Unlicensed skins gambling websites operate illegally outside of the video game ecosystem. Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research to better understand skins gambling and its impact on children and young people. The resulting rapid evidence review on skins gambling was published in September. This review and its conclusions will form part of our consideration when determining what future policy changes may be needed around how to best protect children and young people from skins gambling related harms.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure funds raised through Extended Producer Responsibility are used by local authorities on advanced recycling infrastructure.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has implemented robust measures within the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to ensure that funds raised are directed by local authorities towards recycling infrastructure. I have instructed PackUK to use regulatory powers to recover monies from local authorities in England where these funds have not been spent on packaging waste management services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether first responders are (a) trained and (b) equipped to administer EpiPens in emergency situations; and what guidance is in place on their use.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 has allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) without a prescription, for emergency use on children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but whose own device is not available or not working. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this legislative change, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools

This guidance advises schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils. The guidance makes clear that any AAIs held by a school should be considered as a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAI. It also states that children at risk of anaphylaxis should have their own prescribed AAIs at school for use in an emergency, and that they should carry two devices at all times.

There are many implications that would need to be given careful consideration if AAIs were to be located in public places such as shopping centres, sports venues, or transport hubs. For example, we would need to consider the impacts on the supplies of AAIs for patients who are currently prescribed them.

In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and to provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs.

Ambulance staff are trained in how to treat a range of conditions, including anaphylaxis. Treatment options may include a dose of adrenalin via a syringe or use of AAIs. The Community First Responder (CFR) programme enables volunteers trained by the ambulance service to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. CFRs have had first aid training but are not medically trained. CFRs are trained in the administration of a patient’s own AAI, which would ensure the correct medication and dose for that patient. In general, CFRs do not carry medication.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the independent review of stalking laws will engage with (a) survivors, (b) survivor organisations and (c) experts.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On Wednesday 22 October the Government announced that Richard Wright KC has been appointed to lead the independent Stalking Legislation Review.

The review will consider whether the criminal law on stalking needs to change to ensure the police and wider criminal justice partners have the clearest possible framework for effective identification, management and prosecution of stalking cases.

The views of victims and survivors will be at the heart of our approach. The review will engage with experts from specialist stalking charities, academia and across the criminal justice system alongside direct engagement with victims and survivors themselves.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of EpiPens in (a) schools, (b) shopping centres, (c) sports venues, (d) transport hubs and (e) other public places.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 has allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) without a prescription, for emergency use on children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but whose own device is not available or not working. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this legislative change, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools

This guidance advises schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils. The guidance makes clear that any AAIs held by a school should be considered as a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAI. It also states that children at risk of anaphylaxis should have their own prescribed AAIs at school for use in an emergency, and that they should carry two devices at all times.

There are many implications that would need to be given careful consideration if AAIs were to be located in public places such as shopping centres, sports venues, or transport hubs. For example, we would need to consider the impacts on the supplies of AAIs for patients who are currently prescribed them.

In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and to provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs.

Ambulance staff are trained in how to treat a range of conditions, including anaphylaxis. Treatment options may include a dose of adrenalin via a syringe or use of AAIs. The Community First Responder (CFR) programme enables volunteers trained by the ambulance service to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. CFRs have had first aid training but are not medically trained. CFRs are trained in the administration of a patient’s own AAI, which would ensure the correct medication and dose for that patient. In general, CFRs do not carry medication.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness on (a) the signs of anaphylaxis and (b) the appropriate use of EpiPens.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 has allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) without a prescription, for emergency use on children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but whose own device is not available or not working. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this legislative change, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools

This guidance advises schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils. The guidance makes clear that any AAIs held by a school should be considered as a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAI. It also states that children at risk of anaphylaxis should have their own prescribed AAIs at school for use in an emergency, and that they should carry two devices at all times.

There are many implications that would need to be given careful consideration if AAIs were to be located in public places such as shopping centres, sports venues, or transport hubs. For example, we would need to consider the impacts on the supplies of AAIs for patients who are currently prescribed them.

In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and to provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs.

Ambulance staff are trained in how to treat a range of conditions, including anaphylaxis. Treatment options may include a dose of adrenalin via a syringe or use of AAIs. The Community First Responder (CFR) programme enables volunteers trained by the ambulance service to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. CFRs have had first aid training but are not medically trained. CFRs are trained in the administration of a patient’s own AAI, which would ensure the correct medication and dose for that patient. In general, CFRs do not carry medication.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Justice Transcribe tool was developed (a) in-house or (b) in partnership with external technology providers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Justice Transcribe is an AI-powered note-taking tool that records and transcribes conversations between probation officers and people on probation. It was developed in-house.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department provides to local police forces to identify and tackle anti-social driving behaviour in known wildlife and animal collision hot spots.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. We are giving police the powers they need to tackle anti-social driving in both rural and urban areas so that they will be able to more easily seize these vehicles from offenders and dispose of them.

The Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will enhance police powers to seize nuisance vehicles which are used in an anti-social manner by removing the requirement to first give a warning to the offender and allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.

The Government has also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.

Combined, these proposals will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she plans to take to encourage continued private investment in rural broadband infrastructure.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

The draft Statement also sets out how Ofcom can continue to support private investment across the UK, including in rural areas, by promoting competition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Childcare offer exceeds target, benefiting over 500,000 children, published on 24 September 2025, how many children by (a) income, (b) ethnicity, (c) disability, (d) rural location and (e) urban location are (i) receiving and (ii) not receiving 30 hours of childcare.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

The department cannot provide figures on Eligibility Checking System (ECS) entitlement code validation broken down by income, ethnicity, disability, rural location and urban location. This is because detailed demographic data on children is not collected by the system used in the publication of ECS codes. The department also does not hold comprehensive detailed information on the children who do not receive funded childcare.

The early years and school censuses are publications separate from the ECS that disaggregate children in receipt of entitlements by disadvantaged status, ethnicity and special educational needs provision. The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. Their provisional release date is July 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency impacted by the national rollout of free breakfast clubs.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government has made a manifesto commitment to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with children on roll from reception to year 6. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day. This means that approximately 4.6 million children in England, 97,600 children in Lancashire and 6,500 children in Fylde will be able to benefit from free breakfast clubs once they are rolled out in their area.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure short courses in (a) digital, (b) AI and (c) engineering are eligible for Growth and Skills Levy funding from April 2026.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government wants employers to be able to use the levy on short, flexible training courses to meet their business needs from April 2026. The first wave of these courses will be called apprenticeship units. The initial roll-out will be in priority areas such as artificial intelligence, digital, and engineering, and will be expanded over time to other critical skills needs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Chancellor cuts pointless admin in nearly £6 billion business blitz, published on 21 October 2025, whether his Department has tested the (a) reliability, (b) accuracy and (c) risk of bias of AI systems for planning application reviews; and whether he plans to consult with local authorities on the adoption of these technologies.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department is actively exploring options to develop AI-enabled products to speed up public service provision, including in respect of planning services.

We are developing, and will deploy, these products responsibly, in line with guidance set out in the AI Playbook for the UK Government and clauses in the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Code of Conduct.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to simplify planning consent processes for (a) food and drink production facilities and (b) other manufacturing sites.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should recognise and address the specific locational requirements of different sectors.

The government intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she plans to use to prioritise schools for the expansion of free breakfast clubs.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department expects to provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS treatment protocols for chronic urinary tract infections.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The National Health Service treats patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and chronic UTIs using the same care pathway until it becomes evident that symptoms are not resolving. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance for the NHS on the management of recurrent UTIs, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng112

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73118 on Social Security and Child Support Tribunal: ICT, whether any (a) personal and (b) sensitive information was exposed.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

No personal or sensitive information was exposed as a result of the IT system bug referenced.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has been of the (a) long-term health outcomes and (b) quality of life of patients who have undergone treatment for aplastic anaemia.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such assessment has been made. The majority of the treatment pathway for aplastic anaemia is an integrated care board commissioning responsibility and data is not held centrally. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a curative treatment option for aplastic anaemia. NHS England does not directly collect data on long-term outcomes and quality of life for patients with aplastic anaemia who have received a stem cell transplant. Instead, the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy collects data on transplants performed by United Kingdom transplant centres, and reports this back to the NHS England Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Reference Group (CRG). This includes individual centre annual summary reports. These reports are reviewed by the CRG and insights from the analysis are shared with local commissioners so that they can address any issues with providers. However, HSCT is performed for a number of conditions and the CRG does not routinely review long-term outcomes for individual conditions at a granular level.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73115 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Data Protection, whether (a) financial penalties and (b) contract management actions were taken against any delivery partner.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We have no central record of any financial penalties against any supplier/delivery partner in relation to this issue.

Contract management actions are undertaken as standard; HMCTS and the Ministry of Justice engage suppliers via frameworks managed by the Crown Commercial Service and did so over the course of the HMCTS Reform Programme (for example on the Digital Outcome and Specialists and G Cloud frameworks). These frameworks are designed to enable Government Departments to procure digital and technology services in a compliant, flexible, and value-for-money manner. Both frameworks operate under pre-approved terms and conditions that set clear expectations for supplier performance, financial management, and contract governance, providing Departments with consistent mechanisms to manage delivery risk and ensure accountability across multiple suppliers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to research on aplastic anaemia in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including aplastic anaemia.

Applications to the NIHR are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Topics for new research can be proposed to the NIHR at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

The NIHR has not allocated funding to research on aplastic anaemia in the last five years, neither directly nor through its research programmes or career development awards, because no applications were received that were deemed fundable by the NIHR.

The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into a range of conditions, including aplastic anaemia.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has provided to prostate cancer public awareness campaigns in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of raising awareness of prostate cancer, to support earlier diagnosis. The Department does not ring-fence funding exclusively for prostate cancer public awareness campaigns. Awareness-raising is often supported via broader cancer or men’s health communication programmes, working in partnership with charities and National Health Service bodies.

The NHS, and several other local and national organisations, published information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This information can be found on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms/

In January 2025, NHS England re-launched its Abdominal and urological symptoms of cancer phase of the Help Us Help You public awareness campaigns. These public campaigns aim to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner.

Cancer Alliances receive a place-based funding allocation from the NHS Cancer Programme from which they can draw down to support local awareness and early diagnosis activity. This can be used to raise awareness for a range of cancers, including prostate cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of levels of malnutrition in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling malnutrition, including in the Fylde constituency and Lancashire. In the United Kingdom, the primary causes of malnutrition are clinical. Most cases will be secondary to another health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or impact on a person’s ability to eat and drink. As such, poor or inadequate dietary intake is unlikely to be the primary cause.

The Department does not hold malnutrition data at the constituency or local authority level. While NHS England has previously published information on malnutrition from National Health Service providers at the Government Office Region of Treatment, this is a primary or secondary diagnosis and is a count of admissions not people; the same person may have had more than one admission episode within same time period. The most recent malnutrition data published by NHS England in October 2024 is available by NHS hospital trusts.

Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place. All NHS services are recommended to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline CG32, Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. NHS England’s Nursing Directorate is also leading on a review and refresh of the National Nutrition and Hydration guidance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were eligible for free school meals in Fylde constituency in each of the last five years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department publishes data on school level free school meals in its annual 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' publication, in the additional supporting files. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. This includes a parliamentary constituency indicator. The latest figures were published in June 2025, and the next figures will be published in summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of eligible children receive the expanded 30 hour childcare offer in each region.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

Due to data/sample size limitations, the department does not hold data on the number of children eligible to receive the expanded 30-hour childcare offer in each region, and as a result cannot provide figures on the proportion of eligible children receiving the expanded 30 hour offer in each region.

The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. The associated statistics have a provisional release date of July 2026. More details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/funded-early-education-and-childcare-2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase the number of languages guidance on how to find an immigration centre is available in.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

To improve the accessibility of the visitor process for immigration removal centres, the Home Office has published translated versions of the guidance on gov.uk for visiting IRCs into 20 languages.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many private prosecutions were brought before magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts in each of the past ten years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Private prosecutions are brought before the same courts in England and Wales as prosecutions commenced by criminal justice agencies. The prioritisation of cases in the criminal court caseload is a matter for the independent judiciary. The Ministry of Justice published a consultation “on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system”, between 6 March and 8 May 2025 and will set out next steps shortly.

The Ministry of Justice holds management information on private prosecutions brought before the magistrates’ courts and this is shown in the table below. The definition of private prosecutions is detailed in the Department’s consultation referenced above.

Table One: Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions at the magistrates’ courts in England and Wales, annually 2014 – 2024

Information on private prosecutions at the Crown Court cannot be produced robustly within costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that private prosecutions do not contribute to existing court backlogs.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Private prosecutions are brought before the same courts in England and Wales as prosecutions commenced by criminal justice agencies. The prioritisation of cases in the criminal court caseload is a matter for the independent judiciary. The Ministry of Justice published a consultation “on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system”, between 6 March and 8 May 2025 and will set out next steps shortly.

The Ministry of Justice holds management information on private prosecutions brought before the magistrates’ courts and this is shown in the table below. The definition of private prosecutions is detailed in the Department’s consultation referenced above.

Table One: Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions at the magistrates’ courts in England and Wales, annually 2014 – 2024

Information on private prosecutions at the Crown Court cannot be produced robustly within costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many whistleblowing reports relating to HM Courts & Tribunals Service's digital systems have been received in each of the past five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There have been two whistleblowing reports over the last five years (reported 2024-25) that relate to HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s digital systems.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her speech at the Regional Investment Summit on 21 October 2025, what metrics her Department used to calculate the forecast annual £6 billion in savings for businesses arising from regulatory changes.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

A baseline for the administrative burden of regulation on businesses has been established at £22.4bn a year. Further to the Prime Minister’s commitment to cutting the administrative costs of regulation by 25% by the end of the Parliament, the Government’s target is to reduce the annual burden by £5.6bn.

Our methodology for calculating administrative burdens, and the distribution of the savings we have identified so far, is publicly available on GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a breakdown of the £1.5 billion in savings identified to date under the Regulation Action Plan, including (a) sectoral distribution and (b) methodology used for calculating those savings.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

A baseline for the administrative burden of regulation on businesses has been established at £22.4bn a year. Further to the Prime Minister’s commitment to cutting the administrative costs of regulation by 25% by the end of the Parliament, the Government’s target is to reduce the annual burden by £5.6bn.

Our methodology for calculating administrative burdens, and the distribution of the savings we have identified so far, is publicly available on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which towns will be eligible to bid for the UK Town of Culture; and what criteria will be used to define what a town is for the purposes of the competition.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The new UK Town of Culture competition aims to boost civic pride in our towns through recognising their cultural contributions to public life and actively supporting their continued development. Regarding eligibility criteria, we will advise small and medium size towns apply to this new competition, and refer larger towns to the UK City of Culture competition. This, however, will not be mandated and it will be for the places themselves to decide which competition they wish to apply for. We will provide further guidelines and support in due course to ensure all places can confidently engage with the competition.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of road traffic accidents caused by LED headlights affecting drivers' vision.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department does not hold data relating to the number of collisions caused by LED highlights specifically.

The Department’s published road casualty statistics include figures for the number of collisions where ‘vision affected by dazzling headlights’ was recorded as a contributory factor by a police officer attending the scene. In 2023, the latest year for which this data is available, there were 216 reported injury collisions with this factor assigned.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the AI Growth Lab promotes (a) responsible and (b) ethical AI innovation.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The AI Growth Lab is designed to enable closely-supervised testing of innovative AI technologies in real-world settings, so that safe, beneficial AI can reach the market faster.

Robust safeguards would be in place, including clear “red lines” - regulations which are strictly out of scope, such as consumer safety provisions, fundamental rights, workers’ protections, and intellectual property rights – to maintain safety and preserve public trust.

The Call for Evidence, which is open until 2 January, seeks views from the public, Parliament and innovators to inform further development of proposals, helping to drive growth and responsible AI innovation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on introducing a Tailored Energy Discount for manufacturers transitioning to electrification.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on a range of topics

The Chancellor recognises the importance of electrification for manufacturers and bringing down the cost of electricity is a key element of this government's mission to increase growth.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road incidents involving horses have been reported in each of the last five years; and how many of those incidents resulted in (a) injury and (b) death to (i) riders, (ii) drivers and (iii) horses.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The number of reported personal injury road collisions involving horses and the numbers of killed or injured casualties in these collisions by road user type are shown in the table:

STATS19 only records horses as vehicles and therefore the number of killed or injured horses cannot be calculated.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of water quality breaches have been reported by water suppliers in Lancashire in the last 12 months.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region.

In the 12-month period from Q4 2024 to August 2025, there were 107 water quality breaches reported by United Utilities, which is the water supplier serving Lancashire.

This data is reported as of 24 October 2025 and is subject to change as new data is reported. These figures are not yet final, as water companies have one month following a breach to investigate the cause and rectify any issues before completing their compliance reports. Data for September and October 2025 is not yet available.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether OpenAI’s UK data storage facilities will be subject to routine government security audits.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Data centres were designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024. In recognition of this, the government is expected to introduce proportionate regulatory oversight of this sector. The expected vehicle is the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB). This will encapsulate OpenAI operations that use colocation services which are covered by the regulations in the CSRB.

DSIT is actively considering options to further improve the cyber security and resilience of Data Centres, as outlined in the Cyber Security and Resilience Policy Statement that was published on 1 April 2025. This would apply to most UK based data centres, including those used by OpenAI.

Specific questions in relation to contracts between OpenAI and relevant Government Departments are a matter for that Government Department. Departments must carry out cyber security assurance of their critical services through GovAssure, assessing key security outcomes against the National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Assessment Framework. Government’s Public Procurement Note 014 directs all commercial suppliers holding government OFFICIAL, personnel or citizen data to have a minimum of NCSC’s Cyber Essentials certification.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to increase funding for coastal clean-up and restoration projects.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has supported schemes to clean up marine litter, such as Fishing For Litter and similar local schemes. Fishing For Litter is a voluntary, unpaid litter bycatch removal scheme by commercial fishermen, run by KIMO, which provides fishing boats with bags to dispose of marine-sourced litter collected during normal fishing operations.

Defra has provided £2.5 million of investment in the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative since 2024 through the Water Environment Improvement Fund. ReMeMaRe, led by the Environment Agency, aims to restore 15% of saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reefs in England by 2043. Defra is also providing £168,000 funding this financial year for the ReMeMaRe Programme Office which is supporting local partners to significantly increase the scale and pace of practical estuarine and coastal habitat restoration in England.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of family members claiming Carer’s Allowance on the finances of the disabled people that they care for.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Carer’s Allowance, paid to a family member providing care, can affect a disabled person’s own means-tested benefit award. Family members and disabled people should carefully consider what benefit support best meets their specific circumstances.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of road safety measures in protecting (a) horse riders and (b) carriage drivers on public highways.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads and my Department works with a broad range of stakeholders to help us achieve our aim.

In 2022 The Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which ensures that those who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat that they pose to others, along with the strengthening of guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse-riders.

THINK!, the Government's flagship road safety campaign, plays an important role in raising awareness of, and encouraging compliance with, road safety legislation, including the changes to The Highway Code. THINK!, ran campaigns to alert road users of the changes as they came into effect and broader behaviour campaigns to encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Results from the last campaign showed that by September 2023 93% of drivers agreed it was their responsibility to give space to vulnerable road users. We will continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and DfT social media channels and via our partner organisations.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of untreated sewage discharge into coastal waters in Lancashire were reported in each of the last five years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Analysis of Event Duration Monitoring summary spill data is publicly available on GOV.UK.

The EA routinely monitors this data to assess compliance with permits, and where non-compliances are identified the EA takes appropriate enforcement action.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their UK citizenship reinstated following a successful appeal since 26 February 2025.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Since 26 February 2025, there have been no cases of reinstated citizenship following a successful appeal.

National inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse